WATCH | Run-out in U19 Women's T20 World Cup triggers massive debate: 'That's not fair'

The 17th match of the ongoing ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup saw Australia lock horns against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The match was played at Willowmoore Park Stadium in South Africa, where the inaugural event is currently being hosted by the cricket's apex body. Meanwhile, the match witnessed a controversial moment that has now sparked a huge debate over the rules of the game.

In the 19th over of Australia's innings, Sri Lanka bowler Rashmi Nethranjalee 'unintentionally' blocked non-striker, Lucy Hamilton, from reaching the crease when a fielder was taking a throw at the stumps. The throw by Dulanga Dissanayake hit the stumps and the umpire called it out. However, some on social media feel that Hamilton was wrongfully declared out as they accused Nethranjalee of indulging in unfair play. 

A video of the incident was shared by the ICC on its official Instagram handle. "Bowler did obstruct the non-striker. But neither did she try to reach the crease," one individual wrote in the comment section of the post. "Against the spirit of the game," another user wrote. Meanwhile, some users also came in support of the Sri Lanka bowler, saying that the block was unintentional. 

Australia Women U-19 vs Sri Lanka Women U-19

Coming back to the match, Australia Women Under-19s defeated their Sri Lankan counterparts by a massive margin of 108 runs. Batting first, Australia scored 159/5 in 20 overs courtesy of brilliant performances from Sianna Ginger and Ella Hayward. The duo hit 30 and 36 runs respectively. Amy Smith and Lucy Hamilton also contributed with scores of 22 runs each. Earlier, Kate Pelle scored 27 off 19 balls while opening the batting for Australia. Rismi Sanjana picked up two wickets for Sri Lanka, while Rashmi Nethranjali and Dewmi Vihanga scalped one wicket each. 

In the second innings, Australia bowled Sri Lanka out for just 51 runs. Apart from opener Nethmi Senarathna, none of the Sri Lanka batters were able to cross the two-digit mark. Three batters were dismissed for a duck in Sri Lanka's innings. Maggie Clark and Lucy Hamilton picked up two wickets each for Australia, while others scalped one wicket to their names. Ella Hayward won the player of the match award for her all-round performance. 

Image: ICC/Instagram